


A Rotten Secret

by NaughtyBees



Category: LazyTown
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Growth, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Macro/Micro, Past Abuse, Shrinking, Sizeshifter Robbie AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-07
Updated: 2017-05-25
Packaged: 2018-09-30 03:04:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10151984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NaughtyBees/pseuds/NaughtyBees
Summary: Robbie and Sportacus attempt to have a romantic evening together. However, it's more or less completely ruined when Robbie's secret resurfaces for the first time in 20 years.Now the kids know about it and Robbie isn't sure he's ready for that.





	1. Chapter 1

“I want to move around! Your place is huge, just let me do a gymnastics routine!” Sportacus whined, Robbie pinning him to the fluffy chair, laid with his back against one armrest and his legs draped over the other, butt firmly on Sportacus’s legs. Of course, Sportacus could just lift him up and move him but he didn't want to. He just sat there, sighing softly. He enjoyed how comfortable it was snuggled against him but his limbs began to prickle as they always did when he wasn't active. 

“Just relax a little! Stop being so antsy!” Robbie could feel how twitchy Sportacus was but he didn't budge. They'd started dating a few days earlier after much mutual pining. One of Robbie's schemes had placed them both in close proximity to each other and one thing led to another. Robbie supposed if you were trapped in a hole for three hours with someone pressed against you, you'd have to learn to get along with them. Now, here they were, attempting to have a nice time together. Attempting. 

“Just let me do one push up!” Sportacus wriggled. He'd sat still for ten minutes now. He could barely sit still when on vacation when Stephanie had taken over for him. He couldn't do this.

Robbie let out a cry of frustration, standing up. He felt a familiar burn in his muscles and clenched his teeth, tensing up. Not now. Not here. He remembered finding out Sportacus’s secret, that he was an elf. He pretended it was a big thing but in reality, his secret was much worse. He watched Sportacus jump up to exercise, taking a deep breath and sitting down in his chair, a bored expression crossing his face as the hero did push ups. He always felt like he would lose control around Sportacus. He was intoxicating and Robbie felt drunk with emotion when near him, feeling like he was drowning in treacle. The villain had to keep a lid on his powers with twice the effort, fingers clenched and muscles tensed. He closed his eyes, listening to Sportacus talking about exercise, trying to lose himself in his soft tones. It was difficult for him to not reveal his secret considering the more emotional he got, the harder it became. And Lazytown’s residents made him very angry. 

Sportacus flipped over, grabbing Robbie's hand and tugging him to his feet, earning him a surprised yelp. There's was a moment when they locked gazes. Sportacus smiled, his eyes sparkling with affection. Robbie huffed, the calloused hand squeezing his own gently, leaving a burning sensation. He knew it was his imagination but he still enjoyed it. Sportacus pressed closer to him. “Do you have any music?” He asked with a grin. 

“Uh… Yeah, here.” Robbie picked up a remote and pressed the button, soft tunes coming from the speakers overhead. Sportacus smiled and placed a strong hand on his waist, tugging him into a stumble. Once he'd righted himself, the elf turned around, beginning to dance with him. Robbie struggled to keep up, the fast paced half waltz half freestyle making him dizzy. He sighed heavily, looking into Sportacus’s smiling face, enjoying the moment. With a flourish Robbie pulled off the elf’s blue hat, casting it aside so he could look at his golden hair. It was beautiful, glowing like the rest of him, radiating life. Robbie smiled, resting his chin against Sportacus’s temple as the beat slowed. He felt hands on his back, his heart warming at the sensation. Panic gripped him as he began to feel himself inching a few centimeters upwards and tightened his grip on Sportacus’s shoulder as he tensed up. Not now, not now. He couldn't let his emotions get the better of him. 

Robbie wasn't paying attention to his feet, one of them slipping on the discarded hat, sending him flying towards the ground. He dragged Sportacus with him, the elf landing on top of him with a quiet yelp, both of them a little dazed. There was a beat before they both started laughing, Sportacus looking at Robbie with a fondness, a hand pressing itself to his pale face, warming his skin. Robbie smiled, looking from the pearly white smile to the gentle eyes roaming his face and the pointed ears, the tips of them turning pink. He was about to say something when soft lips captured his own. Sportacus held the back of his neck, his touch seeming like it burnt, leaving sparks crackling on his skin. Robbie felt his heart jump into his throat, it beating loud in his ears as a whirlwind of emotions rocked him, his stomach twisting and his chest tightening. It was so amazing, so indescribably perfect. He felt his muscles burn as a wave of energy tore through his body, making him feel weak. Not now! Definitely not now! He couldn't keep ahold on himself, the intense situation being too much for him.

Robbie's body expanded underneath Sportacus, an explosion of growth causing him to shoot upwards; eight feet, ten feet, fifteen, twenty... “No! No, no!” He sat up before his head hit the wall, his legs stretching out, lengthening painfully, making him whimper slightly. He heard breaking glass, two of the disguise tubes shattering under his shoe, completely destroyed. Pulling his foot closer to him, he tried to keep it from doing any damage, only to break a lamp. No matter what he did, he couldn't stop himself, trying so hard to stop growing, the panic making the rate increase. Gadgets and gizmos were flattened beneath him, the shriek of bending metal making his teeth grind, hours and hours of work gone in a second. Luckily, his chair was spared, being between his ankles. He bent his knees, feeling his head strike the ceiling, leaving a painful lump that made his head spin. Leaning forwards, he tried to make himself as small as possible, his shoulders flat against the ceiling now, pipes digging into his flesh. He would've gone right through were it not for a high pitched beeping below him. Stood between his legs, mouth wide open, was Sportacus. The sight of him, the fear that overtook Robbie was enough to halt his ascent. He hyperventilated, feeling incredibly claustrophobic, the huge lair nothing more than a tiny box to him now. He made a soft pathetic sound, looking down at Sportacus, the beeping still emanating from his chest. 

Sportacus snapped out of his shock. Robbie needed his help, he didn't have time to be a deer in the headlights! He reached out, placing a hand on Robbie's ankle, trying to comfort him. “It's okay, Robbie, it's alright! I'm here!” He tried to be reassuring, smiling at him despite his own confusion and nerves. “You're fine, you're safe!” The only explanation he could think of was that Robbie was affected by one of his inventions somehow. “Did a gadget do this to you? Which one was it, I'll help you reverse it!”

Robbie exhaled shakily, nudging his finger into Sportacus’s side, wincing as the elf flinched away from him. He knew him moving must have been like a mountain descending upon Sportacus so he stayed still, the hero cautiously holding his fingertip. It calmed him only slightly but he still felt anxiety twist at his stomach, a deep settled dread making him feel queasy. “Uh… N-No, it's… it's me.” He stammered, finding it hard to speak, his mouth dry and his throat sticky. This is what he was afraid of. Sportacus knew his secret now. He'd tell everyone in Lazytown and Robbie would be forced to leave forever. He sniffled slightly, noticing his sharp intake of breath causing Sportacus’s hair and clothes to be blown around. “I've been...able to change size since I was a teen. Emotions usually trigger it when I'm not paying attention.” He let out a breathy, nervous laugh, squeezing his eyes closed. An echo of a memory made him tense. A lanky boy, no older than thirteen, crying in his bedroom. Bruised face and broken teeth. The feeling that even if he held his ground, everybody wanted to bury him beneath it anyway so why bother? The anger he felt and the way it took hold of him so violently, the way it didn't just stop at his emotions. The terror of growing for the first time, destroying everything he held dear, the way his mother reacted, the anger on her face. The bag she packed for him. That was the nicest thing she had done for him in years. 

He let slip a shaky exhale, trying to keep himself from growing again, not wanting to possibly hurt Sportacus. “You kissing me was too much. I-I suppose you're gonna tell everyone? Have me run out of town?” He gnawed on his lip. Of course Sportacus would get rid of him. He'd be seen as a danger to Lazytown, his past schemes wouldn't exactly cast him in a good light. It was the elf’s job to keep everyone safe and that would involve making Robbie leave forever. Despite being bigger than a house, he flinched, expecting to be hit, yelled at, anything. 

Sportacus pressed into Robbie's hand,rubbing the skin on his palm, hoping to reassure him. “Don't be silly, why would I do that? You have a superpower, that's great!” Robbie blinked in surprise, cautiously wrapping his fingers around Sportacus, lifting him off his feet. He gave him a tiny squeeze, the feeling of him in his palm comforting him, grounding him a little.

“You… you're not angry?” As relief flooded his body, a cool sensation washed over him and he felt the pressure of the ceiling against his back subside. “I was sure you'd at least yell or something…” 

Sportacus shook his head. “Why would I care if you can do this? I don't mind, you're still Robbie!” He noticed that the more he comforted him, the smaller he got and gave a wide, beaming smile in the hopes of making him feel better. “You'll always be my number one, no matter what size you are!” He pressed a kiss to his thumbtip.

Robbie exhaled, feeling himself get smaller and smaller, eventually having to hold Sportacus in two hands. He halted at around 30 feet tall, moving to sit against the wall to the right of the shattered disguise tubes, its cool surface soothing where the pipes had bitten into his flesh. He hugged Sportacus to him like one might a teddybear, the elf snuggling into his chest, relaxed in his hold. “I was so terrified that you'd think was a monster or something.” He mumbled, his hand completely covering Sportacus’s back, thumb rubbing up and down. “I mean… I've never hurt anyone, I'm not like that, I just…”

Sportacus moved to kiss Robbie's chin, nuzzling under it. “Robbie, you might be a villain… but you never used your power to try capture me or stop the kids from playing. You're a good person!” He closed his eyes, the loud thump of Robbie's heart making him smile. “And I love you.”

Robbie felt at ease and cuddled him tighter, engulfing him in his grasp, his arms crushing him to his soft chest. “Thank you...” He pressed a kiss to Sport’s head, humming happily, his nose nuzzling into his soft hair. Granted, he still felt a little sick, like he shouldn't have ever revealed his secret but when he looked down at the elf, purring under his gentle petting, he knew that this was probably for the best. “I love you too, Sportaflop.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back by unpopular demand, James doing the thing where he slaps some words together and posts it long after everyone as lost interest in his fic.

A week had passed since Sportacus had found out about Robbie's power and the villain was happy that the burden had been lifted off his shoulders. Every evening that Sportacus came to visit Robbie in his lair, he let him know that he could use his powers at any point, even if Robbie never did. He hated it, hated how Sportacus stared at him when he first grew, hated the way he felt, sticking out like a sore thumb. The hero asked questions about it sometimes but when he was shrugged away, he didn't press the subject. Robbie knew that Sportacus was curious but he didn't really want to talk about it. It wasn't important.  
Well, that's what he thought.

It was a warm summer morning, the birds were singing, the bees were buzzing and Robbie was groaning, sweat trickling down his back. This disguise was absolutely sweltering worn over his usual waistcoat and pants, and he felt as though he was about to melt into the ground. Still, he was successfully convincing the kids that he was Lazytown’s police officer.  
“What are you doing?!” He asked Stephanie accusingly, hands on his hips, watching her kick a football around.

She looked up at him with a smile. “I'm playing with the ball. Sportacus said we should practise before we play this weekend!”

Robbie folded his arms, pursing his lips. “I think you'll find that playing ball games in Lazytown is against the law.”

Stingy tilted his head, clearly skeptical. “I don't think that's true.”

“Are you a policeman? Did you train at the police academy? Do you have a badge?” He showed his cheap plastic badge for a fraction of a second.

Stingy looked a little taken aback. “N-No…”

Robbie leant in close, glaring at him. “Then be quiet! I know what I'm talking about, I am the law!” He stood up straight, turning to Stephanie to make up some more imaginary laws.

 

Meanwhile, Sportacus was jogging not too far away. Most of the time it was easy for him to keep his mind on his workout. However, today he was thinking hard about Robbie. Ever since last week, the way Robbie had acted around him made him feel uncomfortable, the way he barely wanted to talk about himself and how scared he looked when focus turned to his powers. Sportacus was in such deep thought, he did something he hadn't done for years. He tripped over his own feet, faceplanting into the road and scuffing his cheek. Sighing as he stood up, dusting off his clothes, he wondered if Robbie would talk about it with him.

 

“Eating apples is illegal!” Robbie shouted, batting an apple from Stephanie's hand, watching it roll across the tarmac. “You can get 15 years for eating apples in Lazytown!”

Stingy put his hands on his hips. “But it's just a fruit!”

The villain tutted and shook his head. “I'm afraid Stephanie is going away for a long time.”

The boy looked a little worried. “Definitely?”

“No, _Stephanie._ ” Robbie corrected, taking out some cheap handcuffs. “You'll have to come with me, Pink Girl.”

Stephanie frowned, folding her arms defiantly. “Sportacus eats apples all the time!”

“ _Oh does he?!_ Well, I'll have to talk to this Sportapoop and take him down to the station!” Robbie smirked, knowing Sportacus would very much like a little handcuffing. “Where is thi-” He suddenly paused as he heard someone yelling for help.

Stephanie gasped, pointing. “It's Pixel!”  
Indeed, the tech savvy kid had been fitting a new satellite dish on the roof when he had slipped, sliding to the edge of the roof, hanging off it. He called for Sportacus, trying hard to keep a hold on the gutter. “Where's Sportacus?!” Stephanie yelped, jogging over to Pixel’s house. Robbie stumbled after her, panting softly.

“I don't know… He should be here, why isn't he here?” He asked, taking his hat and sunglasses off, noticing that Stephanie barely cared that he was actually Robbie and not a police officer. He ignored Stingy’s yell of ‘ROBBIE ROTTEN!’, feeling there were more important things to worry about.

Pixel started losing his grip, trying to climb back up but slowly getting lower and lower. “Help! I'm slipping!”

Robbie realised that if Sportacus didn't get here soon, Pixel would fall. He couldn't stop himself. He felt the searing hot wave of energy course through his veins, the tingling pain in his bones as his limbs lengthened. A loud rip sounded as his disguise split as he outgrew it, leaving him in his usual outfit, specially designed by Robbie to change size with him. He barely registered Stephanie's scream and Stingy’s fearful cry as he grew, expanding quickly, his hands cupped under Pixel. He peaked at around 25 feet tall, seeing the horror in the child’s eyes, waiting a second before he let go, landing safe in his palms. “There. You're welcome.” He boomed, tutting slightly at the lack of manners. Suddenly, he gasped, realising what he'd done. He felt a pang of terror in his chest, swallowing thickly as he looked down at Stephanie and Stingy, seeing how frightened they seemed. Dread settled in the pit of his stomach and he set Pixel down, stepping back, trying to shrink back down again. His heart thumped in his ribcage and he began to breathe heavily, beginning to hyperventilate, his vision going blurry. “Oh… Oh no…” He shuddered with a soft sob, bending at the waist and putting his hands on his knees, feeling queasy and lightheaded.

“Robbie!” Sportacus yelled, flipping over and vaulting a wall. “Robbie, I'm coming!” He skidded to a halt below him, looking up at his huge boyfriend. “Robbie, are you alright? What happened?”

Stephanie held Pixel tight, shaking slightly. “P-Pixel was… was in trouble. Robbie saved him… he's giant…”

“Trouble?” Sportacus frowned, touching his chest. “My crystal! It's gone! It's no wonder I didn't know you were in trouble!”

Robbie wobbled slightly, having to steady himself on Pixel’s house. “I think there's slightly more pressing matters, Sportacus.” He grumbled, starting to lower himself to his knees. Skinny fingers wrapped around the elf, lifting him close, lips brushing against his cheek. A deep breath steadied him, causing him to slowly shrink.

Sportacus kissed him, petting his nose. “There there… It's okay, I'm here Robbie…”

Stephanie saw that Robbie shrank as he was comforted and walked over, touching his knee. “Hey, it's alright! Thank you for saving Pixel, Robbie!”

Stingy followed, sticking close to Stephanie, looking up at Robbie with a gaping mouth. “You're so cool!”

Pixel nodded, staying back a little. “Yeah, you're the best! You're a hero!”

Robbie huffed indignantly, shrinking to around twelve feet tall. “Pah. “Hero”, yeah right…” Still, he smiled a little, holding Sportacus close although he was struggling with lifting him despite being over double his height.

Stephanie tilted her head a little. “So how are you able to get so big?” She asked Robbie, causing him to tense up a little, another foot of growth added onto his height.

Sportacus motioned for her to be quiet and rubbed Robbie's six inch long thumb with his hands, pressing a kiss to the tip. “Robbie, will you help me find my crystal?” He asked, smiling gently. “You're good at finding things!”

Robbie slowly shrank back to normal, making sure Sportacus was on the ground before he became too small to lift him, looking a little vulnerable stood beside him after being so huge. “I guess I can try.” He muttered, taking Sportacus’s hand and allowing himself to be led to where Sportacus fell earlier.

A search of the surrounding area with all five of them ended up being completely fruitless, not a single clue as to where the crystal was. Sportacus seemed to be stressing a little, clearly not happy at all. Robbie felt a little to blame somehow, despite not causing this at all. He gently kissed Sportacus, wishing the day had gone better. The more he flaunted his powers, the more he ended up finding them hard to control, it was getting sort of scary.

“Sportacus! I found it!” Stephanie called. The two men spun around to see her crouched by a grate, looking down into it. “It's down there.” She pointed, frowning slightly.

Walking over, Sportacus seemed perplexed. “How are we going to get it out of there?”

Pixel hovered behind Stephanie, thinking. “Is it magnetic? We could tie a magnet to some string?”

The elf shook his head. “No, it isn't. Good thinking though, Pixel!”

Robbie suddenly snapped to attention, chest puffed out and index finger raised. “I've got it! We do need that string! Get me string!” It didn't take long for Pixel to run to his house and grab a ball of strong thread, bringing it back to his friends. Robbie took some metal from his pocket and bent it into a hook shape, fixing it to the end of the string before he handed it to Sportacus. “I'm trusting you. All four of you. Don't do anything stupid.” He gave each of them a pointed glare before exhaling, focusing himself.

A cool sensation crept into his veins, making him shiver slightly. He glanced at Sportacus, watching as he seemed to grow larger and larger when in reality, Robbie was getting smaller. He rarely did this by accident, his hot temper caused growth, not shrinking, but once he started, he found it easy to keep going. Soon he was a few inches tall, halting at that height, looking up to see sparkling blue eyes and a smile that said ‘oh no he's so cute!’ Robbie took the hook on the end of the string and stood on it. “You lower me down there, I'll attach your crystal to the string.”

Stephanie couldn't help but coo, bending down to be closer to Robbie. “You're so cute!”

Robbie hissed, bristling a little as he saw Sportacus snicker with amusement. “Just be careful, Robbie. I can go back to my village to fashion a new crystal but there's only one of you. And I don't want to lose you.” He scooped him up, a fingertip messing up his meticulous hair, causing Robbie to bite him out of annoyance. Sportacus brought him close and kissed his face, completely smothering him for a moment before gently setting him down. Robbie didn't have time to savour it before he was being lowered into a dark, wet, smelly drain. He held onto the string for dear life, not wanting to fall off. “Can you see it?” Sportacus called down from above.

Robbie peered around, squinting. “Not quite… I think it's there…” He gestured to a general area. Looking up, he spotted four concerned faces. “Move, Pink Girl, you're blocking my light!” When Stephanie shifted, he grinned. “Here it is!” As the hook touched the wet, dirty surface, he stepped off onto it, shuddering slightly. The crystal was almost as big as him and he was a little skeptical that he'd be able to do this. It took him a moment or two to fix the hook onto the crystal and he eventually managed to sit on it, holding the thread tightly as he called to be pulled out.

Robbie expected Sportacus to get to washing and caring for his crystal right away, but he barely even looked at it. Strong hands encircled the villain and he squeaked as he was pulled upwards at breakneck speed, lips the size of sofas being jammed against his body on all sides, a well slicked moustache hitting him in the face. “You did it! Robbie you did it!” Sportacus cheered between smooches. He grumbled slightly and gave Sportacus a punch, slowing his frantic kisses. His lithe arms wrapped around that pointed nose and he pressed his forehead against the crooked bridge, sighing quietly. There was a beat of silence before Sportacus turned away from the kids who were using a handkerchief to polish the crystal. “I'm sorry I lost the crystal and you had to show the kids your power.”

Robbie shook his head, the warmth of Sportacus making him a little drowsy. “It's alright. You'll have to talk to them about it, it makes me feel ill.” He blinked his heavy lidded eyes slowly and nuzzled into Sportacus. “You'll need to make it up to me though...”

Sportacus smiled a cheeky smile and nodded. “Well, I'm sure at this size there will be plenty of things to do that you'll like!”

Robbie snickered and gave him a slap, immediately punctuating it with a swift kiss. “Come on, let's explain to the kids, then we can go to my place and you can say sorry properly.”

“Deal.” Sportacus whispered to Robbie and picked up his crystal, turning to the trio. He put the crystal back in its casing then set Robbie on his shoulder, smiling at the kids. “Robbie has secret superpowers!” He chimed, watching their excited faces light up.

Pixel was the first to ask a question. “Why haven't you shown us before?”

Sportacus wondered how best to word it. “Well… remember me telling everyone I was an elf? I didn't know how you'd all react. I wasn't sure if you'd all still like me. It's the same with Robbie. He didn't know if you'd all be scared of him.”

Stephanie smiled. “Is your family...uh…. Size shifter? Is that the word? Can your family do it too?”

Robbie frowned a little. “No. Just me. My family kind of… kicked me out for being what I am.” Stephanie gasped softly, tears welling up in her eyes.

Stingy stepped forward. “How big can you get?” He asked, smiling, hoping to change the subject.

Robbie thought for a second. “I'm not sure. I don't think I've ever tried it.”

The kids shared an excited look. “We should test it out!” Stephanie grinned excitedly. “We can go see how big you can get!”

Robbie looked a little worried about that but Sportacus seemed confident, looking sideways at his tiny boyfriend. “I think that's a great idea! As long as you don't mind it, Robbie?”

Softly sighing, the villain folded his arms. “Well, I guess so… As long as Sportaflop is there.” He didn't want to end up hurting someone if Sportacus wasn't there to protect the kids.

 

oOo

 

News of Robbie's power had quickly spread through Lazytown, mostly thanks to Pixel emailing a video of his rescue to everyone. The mayor had sent Robbie a thank you for saving Pixel, assuring him that as long as he kept people safe while he did so, he was welcome to use his powers.  
Ziggy had expressed concern when Stephanie told him Robbie would try grow as much as he could, worried that he might not be able to stop. Trixie, however, was extremely excited to see these powers in action, always the daredevil.

Robbie and Sportacus walked to the field, hand in hand. “...Is this really a good idea?” Robbie asked, frowning. “I don't want to feel like a freakshow.”

Sportacus smiled gently at him. “They're your friends, Robbie! They're just curious about your powers. Just like they're curious about mine!”  
Robbie grumbled as the kids trotted over to the pair of them, all looking amazingly excited. Sportacus motioned to a nearby tree. “You kids stay there so Robbie knows where you are, okay?”

“This is gonna be so cool!” Pixel grinned, bouncing slightly on the balls of his feet.  
Stephanie was eager to see if Robbie would stop because he didn't want to get bigger or that he just couldn't. Robbie, however, was terrified. Mostly about scaring the kids, or Sportacus, making them hate him all over again. He couldn't handle that look from someone else he loved, the last expression he ever saw on his mother's face.

Robbie took a breath, slowly exhaling and closing his eyes. As the familiar sensation burnt him from the inside out and he began his ascent, he looked down at Sportacus, seeing him get smaller and smaller. The kids all looked incredibly happy, beaming up at Robbie as he grew. Twenty feet, forty, sixty… He slowly knelt down as he reached a hundred, realising he'd never been this huge before. Still, he didn't stop, watching Sportacus flip over and hop up onto his knee. The elf scaled his arm, jumping into his palm as it was presented to him. “This is great, Robbie! Keep going!”

Robbie had to shuffle backwards slightly as he surpassed three hundred feet, Sportacus looking 1.5 inches tall in his palm. He couldn't make out the kids’ faces anymore, just seeing coloured blobs underneath the tree. He didn't dare grow any taller than five hundred feet tall considering how his breaths were causing the trees to sway. He slowly stood, being extremely careful but still causing the ground to shake violently. Holding the now half inch tall Sportacus close to his chest, he straightened up, looking down at the kids. “Happy now?”

His words alone caused violent tremors in the earth, the kids holding one another for support, not really afraid. They trusted Robbie. Even if his spat clad feet were longer than their cricket pitch.  
Sportacus laughed softly as he did a gymnastics routine on Robbie's palm, now half the length of a bowling lane wide, flipping and twirling and jumping. He stopped and looked way up to where a huge smile was directed at him, wide enough to comfortably house three queen size beds. Sportacus really wanted to curl up on his lips, be lazy for a little while and settle on the plush flesh if only for a minute.

Too soon, Robbie was shrinking back down, halting at a respectable hundred feet. Once he was safely seated, the kids ran over to him, all laughing and cheering, talking over one another.  
“That was so good! You're amazing Robbie! Can you teach me how to do that? Imagine how many kittens you could save from trees! Can you pick me up? Let's see how small you can get now! Sportacus can we invite Robbie next time we play basketball, I want him on my team!”  
Robbie blinked a little, overwhelmed by how popular he seemed to be. Before he could stop them, the kids all began to climb onto him, scrambling over his legs. He bit his lip, trying not to be ticklish as tiny hands and feet grasped at his clothes and dug into his skin. He couldn't help a little snicker as Stephanie pressed close to his belly, hugging him gently.

Robbie cupped his hand behind her, pushing her closer, his thumb rubbing up and down her back. “Uh… Thank you…” He muttered softly to her. “Thanks for not freaking out. For… making me feel wanted.”

Stephanie looked up at him. “Of course we want you, Robbie! You're our friend!” The other kids echoed her sentiment, joining in on the hug. Feeling weird with the kids crowding around his tummy, Robbie lifted them all to his face.

“If you hug me again, I'll eat you.” He grumbled. There was a beat before they all crowded around his chin, cuddling his face. Huffing, he glanced at Sportacus, moving the elf close too. As muscular arms squeezed him tight, he couldn't help but curl into himself a little, enjoying how he felt. The warmth blossoming in his chest. He was with his friends and he was loved. For the first time in his life, he felt truly loved.

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave a comment! :)


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